Workout of the week: Downtown Boulder Walking Tour

Instructor: Lori Hunter, of Boulder, started offering year-round, regular walking tours throughout Boulder three years ago. Hunter is also an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado

"Whenever I travel, I look for walking tours, because I just love knowing about the space I'm walking through," she says.

She says she decided to offer tours through Boulder because it's such an interesting town and a pedestrian community, so walking tours was a perfect fit.

"I knew this place was special, but as I started doing the research, it was more special than I realized," Hunter says.

Ellie Sciarra, of Boulder (who is also a tap dance instructor), conducted the second half of my tour. Boulder Walking Tours has seven other tour guides, all Boulder locals.

What is the workout? An upbeat, informative walking tour that teaches you about the history of Boulder while you walk about 2 miles around downtown at a slow to moderate pace. The tour lasts about two hours. Some of the sites we saw included the Boulderado Hotel, pioneer neighborhoods, the Pearl Street Mall, the Boulder Theatre, the Dushanbe Teahouse, Boulder Creek and the St. Julien Hotel and Spa.

"It's designed to explore the main talking points on the Pearl Street Mall and then get people off the beaten path," Hunter says.

The walking tours are a way to get active with a group of people while learning something new about your town (or while entertaining out-of-town guests), without having to put on your running shoes or helmet and need a shower afterward.

In addition to a walking tour of downtown, Boulder Walking Tours offers Chautauqua tours (where you learn about the history of this landmark); Farmers Market tours (where you talk with food producers and learn about the local food economy); and nature hikes guided by trained naturalists (where you learn about geology, animals and plant life typically around Chautauqua and surrounding trails).

What's different: "You're simultaneously learning lots of fun stuff. You're boosting your appreciation for the community and what it has to offer while you're engaging with it physically," Hunter says.

What does it cost? $20 adults prepaid online or $22 walk-up (cash only). Note that tours are first come, first served and capped at 12.

The Farmer's Market tour is capped at six people so everyone can fit in vendor booths. Chautauqua Tours are capped at eight, because when the Colorado Music Festival is practicing, participants go listen in the auditorium; and the nature hike is capped at five because of people's varying levels of fitness.

"Some people want to go for a hike and others aren't used to the altitude," Hunter says.

Seniors are $18 advance/$20 walk-up; kids 10 to 17 are $14 advance/$16 walk-up; and children up to age 9 are free. From every ticket, $1 is donated to Historic Boulder. At the Farmer's Market tour, customers get a $5 voucher to put toward food there.

When: Check the website for the schedule. During the summer, there are tours every day, except Monday and Tuesday. The schedule dwindles down mid-September and continues throughout the winter. Private tours available upon request.

Level: Tours are appropriate for people of all levels, although some kids may not be able to stay focused for that long. Tours tend to attract people age 40 to 60 who are educated and curious, as well as many visitors, reunions, conferences and groups of friends, Hunter says.

"Locals often use visitors as an excuse to come on the walking tour," Hunter says.

What to prepare: Wear comfortable shoes. Not stilettos. I am so proud of myself for remembering this. Regular clothes are OK. Bring a bottle of water. In the summer and sunshine, it gets a bit hot, so I recommend dressing in layers.

"We have scoped out the shady spots, so when it's hot, we know to stop and talk in the shade," Hunter says.

Muscles worked: "To cover two miles with a group of people, you have to keep moving," Hunter says.

Walking is low-impact but it has many health benefits, according to the Mayo Clinic. It can help reduce bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes; manage weight; and improve your mood. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that regular, brisk walking can reduce the risk of heart attack by the same amount of vigorous exercise, such as jogging.

The Mayo Clinic recommends walking 30 to 60 minutes per day within your target heart rate zone most days per week. A guided walking tour like this is a way to get in that walking, while staying entertained.

The Harvard School of Public Health Study reported that one hour of brisk walking per day may reduce your genetic influences toward obesity.

What I loved: I am a native of the Front Range and I've covered Boulder for more than a decade, yet I never knew half of this stuff. I feel like every reporter should be required to go on one of these tours. The time flew by and I truly had a blast.

When you hear "walking tour," you might conjure up images of being bored on a school field trip, but this was pure entertainment. This tour has great Trip Advisor reviews and is consistently ranked No. 1. It felt like walking through town with a friend who happens to know basically everything about everything. It's set up to encourage participation and questions and is super relaxed and personable. Seeing the town through new eyes made me feel like I was on vacation.

This is an awesome way to do something active outside in our beautiful city on those days when you don't feel like doing burpees up the Chautauqua Trail.

"I've had people come out of the teahouse with tears in their eyes. We walk through these spaces all the time, but we don't see them if we're so used to them. You take them for granted," Hunter says. "I get to see this place through the eyes of people who have often never seen it before, or through locals who are curious and for the first time really slowing down and thinking, 'Why is this the way it is?'"

What I didn't like: The two-hour commitment was a bit tight for me, since I am such a hugely important big deal with many things to do.

How I felt after: Let it be known that I sweated a little on this tour. Granted, it was a really sunny day and I probably need new deodorant. But I got my legs moving, my brain growing and some fresh air, so I cannot complain.

-- Reported by Aimee Heckel.

Know of any interesting workouts? Tell us about them so we can check them out: heckela@dailycamera.com or 303-473-1359.

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